Fiber optic systems are often used to transmit information such as voice band and data across a network. Such systems include a light transmitting device (e.g., a laser) coupled to a first end of a fiber cable and a light receiving device (e.g., a photodetector) coupled to the other end of the cable; the light emitting and light receiving devices are collectively referred to as optoelectronic or photonic devices. In addition, the fiber optic system may also include an optical coupler to increase the efficiency of light transfer between the optoelectronic device and the fiber cable.
Various prior-art techniques and couplers have been developed to optically connect the fiber cable to an optoelectronic device. For example, couplers, including lenses to focus light emitted from a laser toward a fiber cable or from the cable toward a detector have been developed. Such systems generally require precise alignment of the optoelectronic device, the coupler, and the cable to achieve high-efficiency light transfer. The precision alignment techniques are typically labor intensive, manual, time consuming and expensive. Thus, improved optical couplers, which do not require or require less manual alignment between various components of the fiber optic system are desired.
Moreover, one dimensional optoelectronic arrays have their sensing/transmitting apertures arranged linearly. Thus, the amount of transferred information is limited by the number of apertures available along a single axis, e.g. the x axis. When such one dimensional optoelectronic arrays do not transmit as much information as desired, then additional arrays, typically in additional packages are required. However such additional packages add undesired bulk, cost, and may lack desired performance characteristics. Accordingly, improved techniques for coupling two dimensional photonic arrays, i.e. arrays where the number of apertures can be varied along both the x and y axes, without the typically manual, time consuming and expensive known precision alignment techniques as well as techniques for electrically connecting such two dimensional arrays to other microelectronic devices is desired.